Degrassi Season 12, Episode 5: The Strange Familia
by Crayton Sale
Summary: Eli has begun to move forward from his past and from Julia's accident, but when he runs into a familiar face at a football game, this person maybe forcing him to face his past again. Sophie begins to feel left out. Please review & tell me ur favorite OC


Degrassi: The Next Generation

Season 12

Episode 5: The Strange Familiar

Clara has been busy since she had been elected Student Body president. She hadn't much time to hang out with her boyfriend or her best friend. The time only she got to see either of them was when she had her media immersion class. Clara walked into class, smiling as she walked over sitting down.

"Hey," Clara smiled.

"Finally found some time to pencil me in, Madame President?" Sophie grumbled.

"Don't be a sour puss," Clara chuckled. "I always have time for you."

"Oh, yeah?" Sophie asked sarcastically.

"Hey, Clara," Wesley said giving her a kiss on the cheek as he passed by. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"What?" Clara asked clueless.

"Nothing," Sophie replied softly.

"That's a lie."

"Ever since you became president and you and Wesley started dating, I haven't seen you around much."

"You see me everyday in class."

"So our slumber parties and pizza/movie nights and monthly shopping sprees don't mean anything anymore?"

"Of course they do."

"Then how come you missed our movie night for the fourth night in a row last night?"

"I was with Wesley," Clara replied sheepishly. Sophie shook her head. "I promise I'll make it up to you." Sophie thought about it. "How about we go the game today? Dave and Wesley are hanging at Conner's and all o f my weekly presidential duties have been fulfilled."

" Only if you we turn it into a movie/pizza/slumber party and an all day shopping spree tomorrow," Sophie requested.

"Of course," Clara smiled.

(Insert current theme song and new credits)

Everyone at Degrassi was excited for the first football game of the season. Everyone was decked out in blue and yellow and cheering on for the panthers, except for Eli who decided to stay neutral because Degrassi was playing against his old school.

"Degrassi has the most team spirit I've ever seen," Kitty said.

"We're very proud of our school," Clare smiled.

"Well looking at the cheerleaders, you can tell they've got spirit," Adam said checking out the cheerleaders. Kitty softly hit his stomach. Clare looked at Eli who was unusually quiet. Clare was worried about him. Lately, he was doing well with moving forward from all the bad events in his life.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Eli replied as if he was coming out of a daydream.

"We can leave if you don't feel uncomfortable being here at your old school," Clare said.

"I'm fine," Eli smiled. "Everything is in the past." Clare smiled, but Eli continued to space out. Clare dropped her smile.

"Is he okay?" Kitty asked Clare.

"I think so," she replied. "He might just be missing his old friends."

"Well on a happier note," Adam interrupted. "We just took the lead."

"Adam!" Kitty exclaimed.

"It's okay, Kitty," Clare said. "I don't think Eli is even really paying attention to the game." Clare looked at Eli. She felt useless to help him and she began to regret bringing him to the game.

Eli took a break from his trance and looked around the crowd to see if he could find old friends of his. As he was looking around he noticed a girl who looked awfully familiar to him. He watched the girl, hoping to realize who she was. Before he could find out who the girl was, she turned to him. Suddenly, he realized who she was. She smiled slightly and waved to him. Eli waved back sheepishly.

"Who are you waving at?" Clare asked.

"Oh, just an old friend," Eli replied. Clare looked in the direction he was waving in and saw the girl turning away.

"A friend?" she asked.

"Yes, a friend," Eli replied a little annoyed. Clare looked at him suspiciously.

At another end of the game…

Sophie and Clara were enjoying the game together. The two had bought snacks from the concession stand and were on their way back to their seats.

"This is the best," Sophie said. "Good food, we're winning so far, and I'm spending it all with my best friend forever."

"It can't get any better," Clara smiled. "I'm sorry I've been ditching you lately."

"It's not all your fault," Sophie said. "Being president is an important and busy job. I'm sorry I've been jealous."

"Apology not needed but accepted," Clara laughed.

"I can't wait for tonight," Sophie said.

"Neither can I," Clara agreed. "It's going to be the best!" The girls laughed with each other.

The final seconds of the game…

The last few seconds of the game were on the clock and like always Degrassi was in the zone. Before the final whistle blew, they miraculously scored the last touchdown and won the game. Everyone in the stands went wild as the guys celebrated on the field. After the crowd calmed down, everyone began to leave the stands.

"We should all go out for milkshakes at the Dot," Clare suggested.

"That's a great idea," Kitty smiled.

"I could go for a milkshake," Adam said. Clare turned to Eli who was still spaced out in his own world.

"Do you want to join us for milkshakes?" Clare asked him.

"Huh?" Eli asked coming out of his fog.

"Do you want to get milkshakes with us at the Dot?" Clare asked again.

"Um, yeah, sure." Eli said. "Just give me like twenty minutes. I'm going to see if I can find any of my old friends first."

"Sure," Clare smiled weakly. She kissed him and he walked off.

"Where's he going?" Adam asked.

"Oh, he's just going to catch up with some old friends," Clare responded softly. Kitty put her hand on Clare's shoulder.

"You okay, Clare?" she asked. Clare nodded slightly.

Back to Eli…

Eli walked in the opposite direction of the crowd until he reached the end. He looked for the girl he saw earlier and found her sitting on a bench by herself. Eli quietly walked over to her, sticking his hands in his pockets as he approached her.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"I didn't expect to see you here," the girl said not looking at him. Eli looked at his feet. She turned to him. "When I heard we were playing Degrassi, everyone got excited about possibly seeing you. I told myself that you wouldn't show up."

"Well, you're the only one I've seen," Eli said.

"That's because I convinced everyone else that you weren't here," she said.

"Why?" Eli asked.

"Because I know that if everyone got excited, word would spread, and there are some people who hold still hold grudges against you." The girl paused for a second and turned away from Eli. "I didn't want them to hurt you." Eli sat down next to her.

"I almost got stabbed last year because I wanted to get even with this one bully, but I didn't." The girl looked a little worried. "Point is, I've learned to take care of myself."

"No, you think you can take care of yourself, Eli. You never were good at it, you always had help." Eli frowned. "Don't give me that puppy dog pout. You know if it wasn't Julia, you'd have gotten your ass kicked every day. You never were good at not being a smart-aleck." Eli smirked but then went back to frowning.

"Lately, I haven't been thinking about Julia. I've kind of forgotten about her."

"Well, I guess that's kind of good. It's nice to see that you've started to move on." The girl pulled back blondish red hair over her ear.

"But I haven't really moved on, I've only forgotten about her. There's a difference. The only reason I've forgotten her is because Clare helps keep my mind off Julia."

"So her name's Clare," the girl grinned.

"What?" Eli asked clueless.

"I saw you with that one girl, she's really pretty."

"Thanks. I really like her."

"I'm glad you're happy though."

"I don't know, maybe not as happy as I thought I was anymore."

"Well you have my number. Text me or call me anytime you need talk about things, especially about what happened."

"Thanks," Eli smiled. They hugged as Adam walked up to them.

"Um, what's going on?" he asked sternly.

"Just saying goodbye to my friend," Eli said calmly.

"See you later, Eli," the girl said as she left the bleachers. "Remember, anytime you need to talk, please call or text me." Eli nodded and the girl left.

"Who's that?" Adam said folding his arms.

"An old friend," Eli replied like he didn't notice that Adam was mad. Eli started to walk in the opposite direction that he came and Adam followed behind him.

"I just caught you hugging another girl," Adam said. "What do you mean by 'an old friend?'"

"I mean, she's a friend I used to have and nothing more," Eli said turning around.

"She didn't look like just a friend. So are you going to call her or text her?"

"Shut up and let's go to the Dot." Eli stomped off ahead of Adam.

At Sophie's house..

Sophie and Clara were enjoying their slumber party by watching the latest "Twilight" movie that was out on DVD. They were cuddled up in their blankets and talked about the movie with each other.

"I don't know why everyone thinks Jacob's so hot," Clara said. "His face looks all distorted."

"Yeah, but his body is hot!" Sophie exclaimed.

"So? What good is a ripped body if your face looks like someone tried to smash it together? Now, Edward is hot."

"Ew, he's all scruffy and looks like he does drugs all the time."

"Aside from the druggie look, his scruffiness is hot." Sophie laughed. Clara felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw she got a text from Wesley.

"Who is it?" Sophie asked.

"Wesley," Clara smiled texting on her phone. "He says it's boring at Conner's without me." Sophie rolled her eyes. Clara put her phone down and continued to watch the movie. "So why aren't you and Dave a thing yet?"

"Because is immature," Sophie replied. "Yeah he's cute, but if we're ever going to have a relationship, he needs to grow up a little."

"I think you should give him a chance," Clara smiled. "He's really not that bad and maybe he needs a girl like you to show him how to grow up." Sophie pondered this thought as they continued to watch the movie.

At the Dot…

Adam and Eli walked into the Dot and sat down with Clare, Kitty, and Alli, who had just caught up with the girls. Eli kissed Clare on the cheek as Adam glared at him.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Kitty asked Adam.

"Oh, my feet hurt," Adam said quickly calming down.

"We ordered your milkshakes already," Kitty smiled. "I got you your favorite."

"Thanks," Adam said kissing Kitty on the cheek.

"Hmm, it's a love fest going on in here," Alli said.

"I'm sorry Drew couldn't make it, Alli," Clare said.

"Yeah, and the wonderful excuse is that he has to study," Alli said rolling her eyes.

"At least he's not doing other things," Adam said looking at Eli.

"He better not be," Alli said.

"Hey, Clare, let's go check on the milkshakes together," Adam suggested.

"Oh, okay," Clare said getting up. Clare followed Adam to the counter.

"We're waiting on some milkshakes," Adam said to the waiter.

"Yes, they're almost ready," the waiter smiled.

"Thanks," Adam said. He turned to Clare and whispered softly. "I think Eli is cheating on you." Clare's eyes widened.

"What?" Clare asked.

"I saw him hug some girl after the game," Adam explained. "And she told him to call or text her anytime."

"Eli wouldn't do that," Clare said.

"I didn't think so either until I saw him with her after the game," Adam said. "You should talk to him confront him about it." Clare thought about it for a minute.

"I'll talk to him about it at school on Monday, but not here tonight," Clare finally agreed.

"Here you go," the waiter said setting a tray of milkshakes in front of him.

"Thank you," Clare said.

"Just be careful," Adam said. Clare nodded.

The Monday at school…

Sophie was sitting in her media immersion class waiting for Clara to come to class. She saw Clara walk into class with Wesley, holding hands. Sophie went to say hi to Clara, but Clara walked right passed her. Sophie watched Clara sit down next to Wesley, smiling and laughing.

"Looks like you've been replaced," Dave said to Sophie from across the computer desk. Sophie glared at him and Dave backed off. She looked back over at Clara and Wesley and suddenly, Clara's suggestion started to mix with jealousy. She turned back to Dave.

"Are you still looking for a girlfriend?" Sophie asked.

"Me?" Dave asked as Sophie nodded. "Well, since the offer has come up, yes I am."

"Would you settle for me?" Sophie asked. Dave raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

In the hallway…

Eli was texting the girl from the football game while eating his daily apple. Clare walked up to him, just coming from class. She stopped in front of him.

"Who are you texting?" she asked.

"A friend," Eli smiled taking a bite of his apple. Clare folded her arms.

"Adam told me a very interesting story Friday night," Clare said sternly. "He said you were hugging some girl and that she told you to call her."

"Did he happen to tell you that she was just a friend?" Eli asked returning the stern tone. Clare became flustered. "Guess he forgot to mention that, huh?"

"Who is she then?" Clare asked.

"A friend," Eli said. "Now get off of my back." Clare glared at him.

"What has gotten into you?" she asked. "Ever since we went to the game you've been distancing yourself from me." There was a pause. "And I can see why. Have fun with your new girlfriend, Eli."

"She's not my girlfriend, we have no romantic interest in each other whatsoever, and I'm not cheating on you so I don't why you're getting all upset for nothing," Eli barked back.

"Then who is she?" Clare repeated. Eli paused. Clare shook her head. "Yeah, you're not cheating." Clare began to walk away.

"Her name is Elsie," Eli said quickly. Clare stopped and turned to him. "She's Julia's sister." Clare looked confused. She walked back over to him and sat down. "She was my best friend way before I even started dating Julia. We were so close people started calling us the 'El Twins,' but we never had any romantic interest in each other whatsoever. It was like we really were twins." Clare fell silent and listened to Eli intently. "After Julia died, we stopped speaking to each other. It hurt too much for us to be around each other knowing about our pasts. So we drifted apart and Friday night was the first time I had seen her in almost two years."

"I'm so sorry, Eli," Clare said. "I feel awful."

"Don't be," he said. She put her arms around him and held him.

"I'm so sorry I accused you of cheating," Clare said. "I understand now why you didn't want to tell me about her. You didn't want to bring up the hurt." Eli gripped her tightly. "Everything is going to be okay, Eli. I promise." Eli pulled away for a moment.

"I want you to meet Elsie," Eli said. "I've been talking to her a lot since the game and it doesn't hurt so much anymore to have contact with her. It would mean a lot to me if you would meet her after school with me." Clare hesitated then smiled.

"If she means that much to you," Clare said. "Then I'd really like to meet her." Eli smiled widely.

In another part of the hallway…

Sophie was at her locker getting her books for her next class. Clara approached her as if Sophie had been missing and Clara just found her.

"There you are," Clara said. "Why didn't you sit with me at lunch?"

"Oh, you noticed I was missing?" Sophie asked sarcastically. Clara looked confused. "I was with Dave."

"Ooh, I want details," Clara commanded excited. Sophie shut her locker.

"Maybe when I have time to pencil you in," Sophie said walking away. Clara watched Sophie walk away with a hurt expression on her face.

After school, in the city…

Clare and Eli met up with Elsie at the Dot on the patio. Elsie was waiting at a table and stood up when she saw Clare and Eli. Eli and Elsie hugged each other.

"It's so good to see you again," Elsie said to Eli.

"You, too," Eli smiled. "Uh, Elsie, this is my girlfriend, Clare. Clare, this is my best friend, Elsie."

"It's nice to meet you," Clare smiled shaking Elsie's hand.

"Same here," Elsie said. "You're a lot prettier up close." Clare blushed. "Well it's finally nice to meet the girl that Eli won't shut up about." Clare looked at Eli who grinned.

"You tell her about me?" Clare asked him.

"To be honest, you're the majority of what he talks about with me," Elsie replied. "But then again, you're really the only girl he's ever talked about like that." Clare smiled and they all sat down.

"It's nice that you guys are back to being friends," Clare said. "Eli told me about what happened with you two."

"Eli never could keep his mouth shut," Elsie joked.

"Neither could you," Eli smiled. Elsie smiled and shook her head.

"So, you're Julia's sister?" Clare asked.

"Yeah," Elsie smiled. "Julia was a grade behind us." Eli suddenly went quiet. Elsie followed.

"I'm sorry," Clare apologized. "I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's okay," Elise said. "I've learned to move on so it doesn't hurt so much anymore and I've learned to forgive Eli."

"What do you mean?" Clare asked.

"Well, I used to blame Eli for Julia's death," Elsie explained. "That's why it hurt to be around him so much." Eli hung his head. "But I realized that it wasn't Eli's fault and that it was just an accident." Elsie looked at Eli who refused to make eye contact with either of them.

"The thing is," Clare said to Elsie. "I don't think he's learned that it was just an accident."

"It was my fault," Eli mumbled. He looked up. "I killed her. If I hadn't said what I had said to her, she never would have ran out the hearse and into the street. That car would have never come down that street, and Julia would still be alive today." Elsie put her hand on Eli's.

"The problem is, you don't have closure," Elsie said. "You feel guilty and that you feel like Julia hasn't forgiven you." Eli fell silent. "I think I know what might help."

On the way home…

Dave was walking Sophie home from school, as a new couple. They walked hand in hand, smiling.

"I'm glad you decided to give me a chance," Dave said.

"Well to be honest, I wasn't going to," Sophie said. "But Clara talked me into giving you a chance." She smiled. "You're cute, but I was afraid that you would be too immature for me."

"Am I?" he asked nervously.

"Actually, you're a lot more mature than I thought," she smiled. They reached Sophie's doorstep. "Thanks for walking me home. It was really sweet." She kissed him on the lips. "See you tomorrow." Sophie glided up the steps as Dave stood there in a mixture of excitement and confusion.

At the cemetery…

Elsie took Eli and Clare to the cemetery. She led them to a headstone with Julia's name on it.

"What are we doing here?" Eli asked Elsie.

"Getting closure," Elsie said. "When I went to see a therapist the first few months after Julia died, she suggested that in order to the closure I was lacking I should come here to the cemetery and talk to the headstone like it was a telephone that could call Julia and I think this might help you, too, Eli." She turned to the headstone. "Hey, sis, I brought someone you haven't seen in awhile." She stepped aside for Eli to move forward. Eli looked at Elsie in confusion. Clare put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," she said softly. Eli took a deep breath and moved forward.

(Insert "Julia")

"Hey," he started. "I haven't seen you in a while." He paused. "But that doesn't mean I haven't thought about you every second I get a chance to think to myself." He paused again. "I haven't been able to forgive myself for what happened two years ago. I still blame myself." He paused and took another deep breath. "I thought I could just erase everything and start over when I met my new girlfriend, Clare, who's here with me. I really like her, there's no denying my feelings for her are strong. So strong, I thought I would be able to start over with her." Tears began to well up in his eyes. "But I can't. Everyone tells me it's not my fault, it was an accident, but they don't know what really happened that night. Only we do. I told you that I couldn't love you anymore. I said that I just couldn't force my feelings for you and that I didn't want you to change who you were just to please me. I couldn't pretend anymore." Tears began to roll down his face. "But if I had found a way, to just love you and see that you changing for me in a way was being who you were, I wouldn't have hurt you. I wouldn't have made you cry, you wouldn't have run out of the hearse like that, ran down the street, and that car would have never hit you." Tears started streaming down his face. Tears rolled down Elsie's cheek as tears formed in Clare's eyes. "I'm sorry, Julia. I'm so very sorry! I wish everyday that I could take everything that happened that night back! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean for you to leave life this way!" Eli broke down in tears. Clare threw her arms around him as Elsie walked over to rub his back. He cried in Clare's arms. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Eli," Clare said softly as tears fell down her cheeks. "She forgives you."

End of Episode 5

Soundtrack: "Julia" by FM Iowa (aka Josh Sheats) (Album: The Old Radio - EP; unsigned)

Next Time: Shark in the Water

Dave has begun to grow on Sophie. She's infatuated by him and Dave couldn't be any happier that he finally found his girl. But as Sophie begins to give Clara the cold shoulder, a friendship is put in jeopardy. Drew promised that he would never cheat on Alli again. However, with Alli's parent's rules getting stricter and Drew begins to see Alli less and less, does Drew start to drift into Rose's harbor of love?


End file.
